The trials and tribulations of a judicial reformist, her efforts to make change and bring transparency into the court system, and the system's response. Attorney Clark also comments on judicial reform issues around the USA, and lawyer rights. Go to About to report judicial misconduct or leave a note for Attorney Clark.

Monthly Archives: June 2012

I know I told you when I started this blog that I was going to talk about the lawsuit (the official attempt to discipline my law license) and evidence from it. I still plan to do that. But my plans had to be put on hold for a bit. Hence the general articles about the justice system. This is because Hennepin County (Minnesota) Judges Lucy Wieland, Lloyd B. Zimmerman and Robert A. Blaeser took some actions, and took some positions, that caused me to decide not speak in detail about the lawsuit. At least not right now. (Don’t worry. I have been gathering information about judicial misconduct for 10 years. I can support any statement on this blog to date, without discussion of specific facts that are even possibly confidential in the lawsuit.)

I don’t think it’s appropriate for public officials to try to ‘gag’ me in this lawsuit. And hopefully I can talk to you more about that in the future.

Don’t you think it’s funny that the private citizen (me) is now saying – ok, you wanted public charges on me. So let’s have everything be public. I mean, I have nothing to hide. So let’s let the citizens see how this process works, up close and personal. And it is those three Judges, the public officials, who are saying (not verbatim) – hey, don’t have stuff about us be public.

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Here’s an interesting wrinkle. In the state-sanctioned attempt to impair the law License of individual attorney Jill Clark, the OLPR has been asked to provide an advisory opinion asap. Read the letter here.

This wrinkle developed late yesterday when Jill Clark, Jill Clark, LLC and Jill Clark, P.A. became involved in litigation filed with the United States District Court District of Minnesota.

Jill Clark started this blog as a lawyer. She still wears that hat: lawyer for her clients, lawyer with a license (not only defending the attack on her license by a certain faction, but also discussing how that attack signals problems within the Minnesota justice system particularly for those who want reform), lawyer in the community.

Jill Clark now also wears the hat of candidate in a public election: for Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Going forward, this blog (jillclarkspeaks) will feature commentary by Jill Clark the lawyer. These comments are not attributable to Jill Clark the candidate, or the Jill Clark for Justice Committee.

As a candidate for Chief Justice, Jill Clark still enjoys First Amendment rights (thanks to the US Supreme Court), but there are some different rules that also apply to judicial candidates. So for any commentary by Jill Clark candidate for Chief Justice, go to that site.

In February, the [Pennsylvania] Judicial Conduct Board filed a formal complaint against [District Justice Rita] Arnold, a 17-year jurist whose district serves the townships of Birmingham, East Caln, East and West Bradford, and the Borough of Downingtown. She was immediately escorted from her office, stripped of her keys, and ordered to avoid any contact with employees by Chester County President Judge James P. MacElree II. However, those actions represented the extent of his authority.

“In a ‘proposed stipulation’ filed with the Court of Judicial Discipline last month….”

Arnold admitted “the delay in docketing the citation and her transfer of it” to another court “each was improper, of itself.” Additionally, she stated that “she does not have any evidence or testimony to refute” the prosecution’s account.

Here’s the intresting part. If the case proceeds, set to testify against the judge are:

A state police lieutenant;

A state trooper;

A Probation officer;

A Court Officer Manager; and

The District Court Administrator

These are all what I call ‘system insiders.’ It’s interesting to see how things are changing around the country when it comes to prosecuting judges.

A local judge who was under scrutiny of the Judicial Standards Commission following a verbal altercation at a local watering hole stepped down from the bench.

District Judge Thomas Hynes resigned his position with the 11th Judicial District Court effective today in lieu of any further proceedings by the Judicial Standards Commission.

In a stipulated agreement with the commission, Hynes agrees to “permanently resign and never again hold, become a candidate for, run for or stand for election to any New Mexico judicial office in the future,” according to court records.

A Wilkinson County judge who in 2007 attempted to strip custody of a 7-year old girl from a lesbian because he believed homosexuality is immoral recently resigned after an ethics probe was opened to look into allegations he “allowed the prestige of his office to advance his private interests.”

Superior Court Judge John Lee Parrott, 63, of the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit turned in his notice of resignation to Gov. Nathan Deal on May 19; it was effective immediately. Parrott served 24 years on the bench.

Story here. If you’ve been reading, you’ll note that this is one in a veritable string of Georgia judges who have decided to quickly retired in the fact an ethics probe.

I’ve been getting some feedback from people in Georgia about my blog, and the issues they have had down there with certain judges. I must say these are interesting times…